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My chest clenches harder and faster and I smack my fist against my sternum twice, suddenly feeling way too warm and not sure where the hell to look.
Her smile fades. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I frown down at my chest, avoiding her eyes. “Just this weird chest thing.”
“What chest thing?”
“Probably a heart attack from stress.”
“Stress from what?”
“Nothing.”
She studies me for a second, then she reaches into the car for her bag and closes the door.
I clear my throat. “Look, I’ve got shit to do, but I can come over tonight and help you with the math.”
Her posture changes immediately. “Oh, no. You don’t have to—”
“We’ll go over it as many times as you need,” I say before she can finish. “When Theo’s asleep. No interruptions.”
She hesitates.
“You’re helping with the bake sale,” I add. “Fair’s fair.”
She sighs and rubs her temple, looking exhausted again. “Fine. Tonight. But only for math.”
I fight back a smirk. “Only for the math. Got it.”
Her eyes narrow slightly, like she hears the lie in my voice. Smart woman.
She slips the flyer into her bag and heads for her front door. I watch her go for half a second too long, eyes catching on the sway of her hips before I drag them away.
Finally. Alone. At night. No interruptions.
13
CARMEN
There’s a firm knock at my door just before nine.
I open it. Levi’s wearing his usual T-shirt and jeans, but he’s cleaned himself up a little. His stubble is trimmed short, his hair is less of a mess, and when the breeze shifts between us, I catch the faint scent of cologne.
He put on cologne for algebra?
If he thinks this is a date, he’s about to be very disappointed.
“Come in,” I say, stepping aside.
His gaze drifts over me for half a second before he catches himself and walks past.
We settle at the kitchen table with my worksheets spread out between us. For the first twenty minutes, he patiently explains the same steps over and over in that low voice, tapping the page with his pencil and drawing neat little arrows beside my working. He never once makes me feel like he wants to throw the whole thing across the room.
Which is impressive, because I do.
“No,” he says when I get the same answer wrong for the third time. “You’re rushing that part. Slow down.”
“I am going slowly.”
